Clive Davis is more than mildly upset with two books that I’ve been reading recently. These highly recommended works are Claire Berlinski’s Menace in Europe : Why the Continent's Crisis Is America's, Too and Bruce Bawer’s While Europe Slept : How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within:

“Bruce Bawer and Claire Berlinski both have thoughtful points to make about the way the old continent is heading, but much of their analysis is couched in bleakly apocalyptic rhetoric more suited to one of John Gibson's Frog-bashing pep talks on Fox News.”

“What worries me about books like this is that they risk reducing Europe to a caricature in much the same way as Stupid White Men turns America into one big Wal-Mart with drive-by shootings.”

I have never visited Europe even once in my life. At best, I can read some French and German. Do I possess a caricatured view of the Old Europeans? Am I even possibly some sort of bigot? Isn’t Clive Davis far more knowledgeable than myself? Who in hell do I think I am? Alas, I am convinced that I am right and Davis is living in a dream world. The man is too close to the situation and it has warped his judgment. What do I have going for me? Just the hard facts. The evidence is overwhelmingly clear that the Old Europeans are not having enough children and socialist economic policies are destroying their economies. Clive Davis only offers an anecdotal counter argument. The hard data contradict him.

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There is little doubt but that affluent visitors to Old Europe can con themselves. These folks sleep in the more expensive hotels and eat in the very best restaurants. They often talk to indigenous citizens who speak fluent English. However, the hard facts cannot be ignored. The old Europeans are royally screwed. They are not bringing enough children into the world and their national economies are continuing to deteriorate. For God’s sake, some 68% of the French population is against even minor changes in the employment laws!

Europe blinds sophisticated American tourists because her strengths of deep-rooted culture and civic beauty intersect with our own weakness, and provide initially a sense of relief and wholeness. The temporary experience there is literally the best of both worlds.

But eventually one must decide how and where to live. Demography and economics (and a lively culture of innovation) provide a better sustenance portfolio than the exquisite grain of the masonry of the Opera house -- especially when jihad embers are glowing down the street.

The problem, of course, is that hard facts are hard to come by. That is why commanders are encouraged to listen to the sargents and visit the front lines. In your case, that would mean spending time in Europe and talking to the natives. Absent that, you are taking facts on faith. You may be right, you may be wrong, but to declare that you are in possession of hard facts is a bit much. Even statistics are not quite hard facts, because their significance it open to discussion.

Nothing wrong with having an opinion, but bear in mind that pretty much no one manages to predict the future.

I have no idea if they can turn things around in Europe, but I think it is possible.

Some time back I was talking to an old WW2 veteran who had recently gone back to Europe, to visit some of the places he fought at. He was the Battle of Bulge, among other operations. He was amazed and impressed at the Europe he saw on his return. He began to cry when he talked about his time in the war and the destruction he saw, he said to me that if the Europeans could come back from that, they can survive anything. I hope he was right.

MHA, take a look at the latest from our blue scarf correspondent in France. He writes of some recent violence and looting in Paris: You may or may not be aware that the Islamo-African youths are piggy backing on the French students who are also rioting for the right to continue ignoring the economics of the labour market. These same socialist students are getting the crap kicked out of them by the Arabs and blacks. Even French students wearing keffiyehs are getting mugged by dozens of immigrant youths.

The word schadenfreude is not used in France, but this might be a time for the Academie to debate this word's inclusion into the gallic lexicon.

Galliawatch has also been reporting that the banlieue youth are turning on their white leftist sympathizers. This may encourage some kind of national awakening and a re-drawing of political lines, or maybe not. Who knows? PC remains strong; Sebastien reports that the only paper to report on the above-mentioned violent looting withdrew the article from its website. There may be more Sebastiens to come, or maybe not. Who can know how many French will find the desire to survive as French?